Churches & Religion

FILE - Pope Francis during his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square at The Vatican, on Oct. 18, 2023. One of the defendants in the Vatican’s big financial trial has formally complained to the United Nations that Pope Francis violated his human rights by authorizing wide-ranging surveillance during the investigation.

Defendant in Vatican trial takes case to UN, accuses pope of violating his rights with surveillance

June 20, 2024, 8:21am Churches & Religion

One of the defendants in the Vatican’s big financial trial has filed a formal complaint with the United Nations, alleging that Pope Francis violated his human rights by authorizing wide-ranging surveillance during the investigation. Read story

Defendant in Vatican trial takes case to UN, accuses pope of violating his rights with surveillance

June 19, 2024, 5:18pm Churches & Religion

One of the defendants in the Vatican’s big financial trial has formally complained to the United Nations that Pope Francis violated his human rights by authorizing wide-ranging surveillance during the investigation. Read story

Hundreds died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia amid intense heat, officials say

June 19, 2024, 10:26am Churches & Religion

Hundreds of people died during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as the faithful faced intense high temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom, officials said Wednesday as people tried to claim their loved ones’ bodies. Read story

Republican Rep. Michael McCaul, left, and Democratic former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sit in the front row with Khenpo Sonam Tenphel, Speaker of the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, at a public event during which they were felicitated by the President of the Central Tibetan Administration and other officials at the Tsuglakhang temple in Dharamshala, India, Wednesday, June 19, 2024.

U.S. lawmakers meet with Dalai Lama in India’s Dharamshala, sparking anger from China

June 19, 2024, 10:25am Churches & Religion

A bipartisan United States congressional delegation met with the Dalai Lama Wednesday at his residence in India’s Dharamshala, sparking anger from China which views the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism as a dangerous separatist. Read story

Codex sells for nearly $3.9M

June 15, 2024, 5:25am Churches & Religion

An important piece of early Christian history, the Crosby-Schøyen Codex, sold for nearly $3.9 million on June 11, at Christie’s in London. This codex is a mid-fourth century book from Egypt containing a combination of biblical and other early Christian texts. Read story

Christian group expands classes at public schools

Joel Penton, founder and CEO of LifeWise Academy, sits May 30 at LifeWise Academy offices in Hilliard, Ohio.

An Ohio nonprofit that provides off-site Bible instruction to public school students during classroom hours says it will triple its programs in Indiana this fall after new legislation forced school districts to comply. Read story

Muslims start the Hajj against the backdrop of the destructive Israel-Hamas war

Two blind pilgrims preform Hajj with the help of their guide outside of the Grand Mosque during the annual pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, June 13, 2024. Hajj is the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia that is required once in a lifetime of every Muslim who can afford it and is physically able to make it. Some Muslims make the journey more than once.

In sweltering temperatures, Muslim pilgrims in Mecca converged on a vast tent camp in the desert on Friday, officially opening the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Ahead of their trip, they circled the cube-shaped Kaaba in the Grand Mosque, Islam’s holiest site. Read story

Southern Baptists narrowly reject formal ban on churches with any women pastors

Messengers raise their ballots in support of a motion put up for vote during a Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting Tuesday, June 11, 2024, in Indianapolis.

Southern Baptists narrowly rejected a proposal Wednesday to enshrine a ban on churches with women pastors in the denomination's constitution after opponents argued it was unnecessary because the denomination already has a way of ousting such churches. Read story

Christian couples wrestle with ethics of IVF choices

Amanda Visser holds her embryo-adopted six-month-old sons Collin and Jackson at her home May 13, in Sterling, Colo. When faced with infertility, Christians who believe life begins at or around conception wrestle with the ethics of IVF and how to build a family in a way that conforms with their beliefs.

When faced with infertility, Amanda and Jeff Walker had a baby through in vitro fertilization but were left with extra embryos — and questions. Tori and Sam Earle “adopted” an embryo frozen 20 years earlier by another couple. Matthew Eppinette and his wife chose to forgo IVF out of ethical… Read story